Automatic gas cut-off.



Unirse Strains PATENT Carton,

JOSEPH C. HEALD, OF NEVFIELD, MAINE, ASSIGNOR OF FIVE-SIXTHS TO PATRICK H. CONNOR AND EDWARD J. BAHAN, OF AMESBURY, AND ALFRED C. FOWLER, OF HAVERHILL, MASSACHUSETTS.

AUTOMATIC GAS CUT-OFF.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 667,656, dated February 5, 1901.

Application led August 7, 1899. Serial No. 726,434. tNomoclelt'.`

To all whom it may con/cern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH C. HEALD, of Newiield, in the county of York and State of Maine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Gas Cut-Offs, of which the following is a description sufficiently full, clear, and exact to enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains or with which it is most nearly connected to make and use the same.

It is the principal object of this invention to equip a gas-burner with mechanism which will be wound up or set by the simple turning on of the gas to light the same and which mechanism, if the gas should not be lighted or should be extinguished without being turned off by hand, will operate to turn the valve or cock to shut it oft, and if the gas should be lighted, to operate thermostatically through a medium to brake or stop the said mechanism so that it may not be operative in controlling the gas in any way, the valve or cock being free at all times to be manipulated to turn on the gas to any degree within the scope of its purpose, turn it low, orshutit oit completely, thesame as though the said mechanism were not present.

To these ends the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts, the essential elements of which are recited in the appended claims and a preferred form of embodiment of which is specifically described hereinafter and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Reference is to be had to the annexed drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, forming a part of this specification, the same letters designating the same parts or features, as the case may be, wherever they occur.

Of the drawings, Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section of one form of my improved gas-burner. Fig. 2 is asection on line 2 2 of Fig. l. Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are sections taken on lines 3 3, 4 4, and 5 5 of Fig. l. Fig. 6 is an elevation of the thermostat and its supporting-thimble detached.

In the drawings, A represents the body of my improved gas-burner, which body is formed with a socket d to receive a valve or cock B. The valve B has secured to it at its lower end outside of the body a thumb-piece b, by which the valve may be operated by hand. The stem of the valve B is made in two parts, comprisingl a part b, which is integral with the valve B, and a part b2, which is formed with a flange b3, which is cut away on its periphery, as at b4, into which cut-away part a pin b5 extends, said pin being secured in a iange h6, formed on the part b. The part h2 is preferably of a hollow cylindrical form and is mounted upon an extension 57 of part b.

The body A is formed with a chamber A', in which the part b2 of the valve-stem is located, and said chamber also receives within it a spring C, one end of which is secured at c to the body A and the other end of which is secured at c to the part b2 of the valvestern.

The Valve Bis moved into its open position to turn on the gas by hand and in opposition to stress of the spring, which serves in case of necessity, as hereinafter described, to return the valve B to its closed position.

The upper end of part b2 of the valve-stem is formed or provided with an arm bs, which is slotted and engages a lug e, which projects downwardly from a disk e.

Above the chamber A the inclosing casing for the mechanism forms another chamber A2, in which is secured a frame comprising two plates D D', connected by posts or bars d d d, and the disk e is mounted to turn on a Stud d' on plate D. The plate D is formed witha slot d2, through which the lug e projects and in which said lug moves when the disk e' is moved on stud CZ. The movement of arm bs is limited in both directions by a segmental lug d3 on the under side of plate D, and the ends d4 d5 of lug d3 engage the arm bs and prevent the latter from moving more than onequarter of a complete revolution.

4 A wheel F is operatively connected through a train of gearing presently to be described with the part b2 of the valve-stem and is actuated by the spring Cin the manner hereinafter described, and the movement of said wheel is controlled by a thermostat, herein shown as made up of a strip of sheet metal bent to form a coil r, with one secured at g' to a thimble g2, which surrounds the burnertip g3, and with its other end g4 free and extending into the chamber A2 to a point adjacentto wheel F, where it is equipped with a brake-shoe g5, as shown in Fig. 2. An extension A3 of the casing incloses the arm g", and a tube A4, compounded with said casing extension, surrounds the thimble g2, the coil g, and part of the body A.

The disk e' constitutes a mutilated gear, being formed with a segment ot gear-teeth e3 on its periphery, and when the valve B is moved into its open position to turn on the gas the said gear-teeth move in the direction ot' the arrow in Fig. 2 and intermesh with a pinion j', fast on a shaft-f', journaled in plates D D'. The shaft f' also carries a gear f2, which is connected with said shaft by a ratchetand pawl mechanism, as shown in Fig. 2, or it may be a suitable clutch device of other form, so that as the disk e is moved in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2 when the valve B is being moved by hand into its open position pinionf may be turned independently of the gear f2, and when the spring C operates to turn the said disk, pinion, and shaft f' in the opposite direction to move the valve B into its closed position the clutch mechanism operates to connect the shaft f' with and to turn gear f2. The gear f2 is in mesh witha pinion f3, fast on a shaftf, journaled in plates D D', on which shaft is also fixed a gearf, which meshes with a pinion f5. The pinion f is fast on a shaft f7, journaled in plates D D', and said shaft also earries an escapementfs, which engages and operates an escapement-leverff. The latter is fast on a shaftfo, journaled in plates D D', and is provided with an arm f, the extremity of which is a segmental gear fw, which is in engagement with and turns a pinion f13 on the shaft f of the wheel F, which constitutes an oscillatory balance-wheel.

Then the valve is moved by hand into its open position and then released, the spring C tends to return the valve toits closed position and through the medium of the mechanism just described serves to actuate the Wheel F, and the latter through the medium of the escapement and the gears and pinions acts as a governor to regulate the speed at which the spring moves part b2.

When the valve B is moved into its open position andthe gas is ignited at the tip g5, the thimble g2 and thermostat are heated and the latter operated. The free end g4 of the thermostat being moved from the position shown by full lines in Fig. 2 to the position shown by dotted lines has its brake-shoe g5- brought against the periphery of wheel F, which is thereby locked and prevents the spring from operating and moving the part b2.

When the fiame is extinguished at the tip g3, the thermostat g operates to release wheel F, and the spring C is then free to move disk e' in the opposite direction to the arrow in Fig. 2, and when the spring C has turned The disk e' sutliciently to carry the segmental gear e3 past and out of engagement with pinion f the said disk and part b2 are disconnected from wheel F and intermediate mechanism, and the spring bei ng then uncontrolled operates to move parts b2 and b'and valve l5 to their normal or closed position by a quick movement.

In some instances it may be desirable to construct the valve-stem of one piece', but the advantage obtained by making it in two pieces connected by a pin and slot, as heretofore de scribed, is that after the valve has been turned by hand into its open position and part h2 partly rotated and after the thermostat has operated to lock the wheel F, and thereby prevent part b2 from being turned by spring C to close the valve, the said valve may be moved back into its closed position or partly-closed position by hand, the pin b5 being moved from one end ot' the slot b to theopposite end independen tly of part b2.

The thimble g2 fits into the tubular casing A4 tightly and is held in place by friction be tween. it and said casing; but as it is nece. sary to adjust the thermostat very nicely with relation to wheel F for different temperatures the thimble g2 is movable in said casing and is slotted, as at g, so that a tool may be inserted in the said slot and the thimble g2 turned in the casing and the free end of the thermostat adjusted with relation to wheel F.

By the invention described it will be seen that the gas may be t-urned on and lighted, turned "low or high, or be entirely shut oi to extinguish the light precisely as is done with a burner not equipped with the invention, but that in case the gas should be blown out or accidentally extinguished through any cause the valve will be automatically operated soon after such extinguishment by the running down of the spring-motor.

The invention is relatively simple in and economic of construction, which are things, coupled with the foregoing, that add to its importance and value.

Having thus explained the nature of the invention and described a way of constructing and using the same, though without attempting to set forth all of the forms in which it maybe made or all of the modes of its use, it is declared that what is claimed isl. The combination with a gas cock and burn er,of a spring-motor operatively connected with said cock so as to be set or wound up by the turning thereof, said motor having an escapement and a balance-wheel; and a thermostatic brake for the latter associated with the burner so as to be applied by the heat generated therea-t, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a gas cock and burner, of a spring-motor operatively connected with said cock so as to be set or wound up by the turning thereof, said motor having an escapement and a balance-wheel; and a ther- IOO IIO

mostatic brake for the latter in the form of a metal strip having a coil associated with the burner, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a gas cock and burner, of a spring-motor operatively connected with said cock so as to be set or wound up by the turning thereof, said motor having an escapement and a balance-wheel; a thiinble surrounding the burner-tip; and a thermostatic brake in the form of a metal strip having a coil secured to the thimble and an arm extendingto the balance-wheel, substantially as and for the purpose described.

4. The combination With a gas cock and burner, of a spring-motor operatively connected with said cock so as to be set or wound up by the turning thereof, said motor having an escapement and a balance-wheel; a casing for the motor having an extension with a portion surrounding the burner; a thimble fitting within said surrounding portion of the casing extension and-itself surrounding the burner-tip; and a thermostat in the form of a metal strip having a coil secured to said thimble and an arm extending through the casing extension to the balance-wheel and constituting a brake therefor, substantially as described. y

5. The combination with a gas cock and burner, of a springmotor operatively connected with said cock so as to be set or Wound up by the turning thereof, a thimble surrounding the burner; and a thermostat in the form of a metal strip having a coil secured to said thiinble and a part constituting a stop for the motor, substantially as described.

(5. The combination with a gas cock and burner, of a spring-motor operatively connected with said cock so as to be set or Wound up by the turning thereof; a casing for the motor having an extension with a portion surrounding the burner; a thimble fitting within said surrounding portion of the casing extension and itself surrounding the burnertip; and a thermostat in the form of a metal strip having a coil secured to said thimble and an arm extending through the casing extension to the motor with which it coperates as a stop, substantially as described.

'7. The combination with a gas cock and burner, of a springmotor operatively connected with said cock so as to be set or wound up by the turning thereof, said motor comprising a member rotative/ly connected with the cock and with the spring and members normally disconnected from said member which is arranged to be brought into connection therewith by the turning of the cock; and a thermostatic stop device associated with the burner and coacting with the members of the motor normally disconnected from the spring and cock, substantially as described.

S. The combination with a gas cock and burner, of a thermostatic stop device associated with the burner; and a spring-motor with which said stop device coacts and Which is operatively connected with the cock so as to be Wound up or set by the turning thereof, said motor having a mutilated gear normally out of lnesh between its spring and its member which is acted upon by the stop device, and said gear being in the form of a disk or Wheel with a limited number of teeth projecting from its periphery.

9. The combination with a gas cock and burner, of a casing, a spring connected the rewith and with the cock, a slotted arm in rotative connection with the cock, a gear-supporting frame in the casing comprising plates one of which is slotted and formed with a segmental stop-lug; a disk journaled over said plate and havin ga pin extending through the slot thereof into engagement with the slotted arm of the cock, said disk having gear-teeth on its periphery; a train of gearing supported between the plates and associated with said disk; and a thermostatic stop device associated with the burner and arranged to coact with said train, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses, this 31st day of July, A. D. 1899.

JOSEPH C. HEALD.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR W. CRossLEY, ANNIE J. DAILEY. 

